Attachment for aeroplanes



A. F. ERICKSON.

ATTACHMENT FOR AEROPLANES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25. 1920.

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A. F. ERICKSON.'`

ATTACHMENT FOR AEROPLANES. APPLlCATION F-ILED OCT 25| 1920.

Patented July 25, 1922.

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A. F. ERICKSON. ATTACHMENT FOR -AEROPLANES- APPLICATION FILED OCT1 25, 1920. ,$428,789. Patented July 25, 1922.

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ANTON: r.. naicnson, er rirrniirrsnune. PENNSYLVANIA.

ATTAGHMENT non ANROPLANES.

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Specification ofeLet-terslatent.

Patented Juiyas, 19.22.

Application led October 25, 1920. Serial No. 419,335.

` To all whom t may-concern Be it knownthat l, ANToN F. ERIC-neon,

a citizen of the United States, residing at. Phillipsburg, in the county'ofCenter andv One of the objects of the inventionis to provide novel means for operating'acurtain which may be extended at anytime, toretard the falling of an aeroplane.

It is within the province of he disclosureL to improve generallyk and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which then invention appertains.

lith the, above and other objects in view,

which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and. claimed, it being understood. that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

A In the accompanying drawingc Figure 1. shows in top plan,.a device constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 4is a longitudinal. section wherein parts appear in elevation; Figure 3 is a fragmental vertical section taken through the forward portion ofthe aeroplane; 'Figure4 Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Figure 4.

rEhe numeral 1 denotes the body of an aeroplane, rear frame members 2 and 3 being provided and front frame members 4 and 5 being shown. As upper sustaining plane 6 is carried by the frame members 2 and 3, a lower sustaining plane 7 being carried by the said members. The front frame members 4 and 5 carry an upper sustaining plane 8 and a lower sustaining plane 9. The horizontal rudders appear at 10, and the vertical rudder is indicated by the reference numeral 11. The propeller is shown at 12 and the engine is indicated at 14-the foregoing being an aeroplane construction for which no novelty is claimed, saving in so far as it may enter into patentable relation with 'parts hereinafter described.

Supports 15, which may be cables`Y extend between the frame members 3 and 4. A housing 16 is superposed on the plane 3 and is open at one end. VA .flexible curtain 17 is providechthe same having a pocket 18. The curtain 17 andits pocket f8 may be reinforced `'by a netting 19, made of rope or any other suitable material.v The forward end of the curtain 17 is carried by a-rod 2O locatedin,v the housing 1,6rand ccnnected'to the 'plane 8 as indicated at 21. rThe rear end of the curtain 17 is connected to a rod 22. The curtain 17 may be rolled around 'the rod 22 and may be disposed within the housing 16," as shown in Figure 3, the curtain being held in the housing by' spring retainers 23 securedto the plane l8 and adapted' to bearyieldingly upon the rolledup curtain.

vFlexible elements 24 are connected to the rod 27 journaled in bearings28 and 29`niounted on the body 1.

One end of a ,torsion spring 79 vis .secured tothe drum ,26, the other end of ,the spring, .being secured `to the shaft 27.' The spring` 7 9 maybe located. within the drum 26 if desired. On onelend ofthe drum 26 there is a ratchet wheel 30 adapted to cooperate with a pawl 31 pivotally supported on the bearing member 28. In one end of. the drum 26 there is a seat32 adapted. to be engaged by a latch 33 mounted. to reciprocate ina casing 34 on the bearing 29, the casing having a slot 35 receiving a finger 36 on the latch 33. The linger 36 lies in the path of a cam 37 on a shaft 38, the shaft being journaled in the bearing 29 and in a bearing 39 on the body l, the shaft having a crank 40 located within convenient reach of the operator. A worm wheel 41 is secured to the shaft 27 and cooperates with a worm 42 on a shaft 43 provided with a crank 44, the shaft 43 being journaled in brackets 45 on the bearing 29. The construction of the worm 42 and the worm wheel 41 is such that, although rotation may be imparted to the worm wheel 41 from the worm 42, the worm wheel 41 cannot react on the worm 42 and rotate the shaft 43.

ln practical operation, the pawl 31 cooperating with the ratchet wheel 3() holdsl the drum 26 against rotation, the shaft 2T being rotated by means of the worm wheel 41, the worm 42 and the shaft e3, to put the spring 79 under tension. Supposing that the curtain 17 is rolled up and located within the housing 16, as shown in Figure S, the operator may actuate the shaft r38 by means of the crank 40, the cam 37 engaging the linger 36 and retracting the latch S3 out of engagement with the seat S2 in the end of the drum 26. Thereupon the drum 26 is rendered responsive to the action of the torsion spring 79. lhen the drum 26 is rotated by the spring 79 the pawl 31 clicks over the ratchet 30, the flexible elements 24 being wound on thel drum 26. When the flexible elements are wound on the drum, the curtain 17 is unrolled and carried backwardly, along with the rod 22, the curtain traversing the supports 15 and the edge of the curtain, ultimately, arriving beneath the plane 6, as shown in Figure 2. The pocket 18 thereupon will open and it will be obvious that the curtain and its pocket serve as a means for supporting the aeroplane and for easing the plane downwardly toward the ground. rihe pawl 31 cooperating with the ratchet wheel prevents the flexible elements 2e from unwinding due to air pressure against the curtain and its pocket when the aeroplane is descending.

The device will operate in a satisfactory way, even though the aeroplane be turned upsidedown. Thus, when the aeroplane is inverted, the curtain 17 and its pocket 1.8 will be engaged by the supports 15 and will be held lat or nearly so. rlhe weight of. the

engine 14, under such circumstances, is above the curtain,and the aeroplane will again be inverted into the position shown in Fignre 2 whereupon the curtain 17 and its pocket 18 will exercise their functions and prevent an abrupt dropping of the plane to the ground.

The center of mass of the body oit the machine is so located that the machine will tend to right itself, when the machine is inverted, and when the curtain is extended, the pocket being prevented by the support from opening.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. ln a device of the class described, an aeroplane; a curtain connected at one end to the aeroplane, the other end of the curtain being formed into a roll; a flexible element connected to the last speciiied end of the curtain and rolled in with the curtain; a drum journaled on the aeroplane, the flexible element being connected to the drum; means for driving the drum; and mechanism under the control oit an operator for rendering the drum responsive to said means, thereby to eiect an unrolling of the curtain.

2. An aeroplane comprising a body and spaced planes, acurtain extensible between the planes and including a pocket; and a support interposed between the body and the curtain, the support being disposed between the curtain and the body thereby to prevent the pocket from opening when the aeroplane is inverted, the center oi mass of the body being so located with respect to the curtain that the body will serve as a counterpoise for restoring the plane to normal position, thereby to permit an opening of the pocket.

3, An aeroplane comprising a housing; a curtain having one end secured within the housing, the other end ot the curtain being fashioned into a roll within the housing; a retainer in the housing and engaging the roll releasably; and means under the control of an operator for unrolling said end of the curtain and for withdrawing the curtain trom the housing.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, l. have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ANTON F. ERICKSON.

Witnesses lV. E. SNYDER, A. G. EmosoN. 

